PacMan2006

Just saw this...but the last 20 mins or so were just weird. I obviously knew.........spoiler




























Pacino was the devil from reading the back of the dvd case and I figured Reeves would kill himself...but then apparently it was all in his head/day dreaming during the case in the bathroom. But then, Pacino really was the devil posing as this reporter guy.

I just need some clarification of the basis behind the entire movie and how the twist--or double twist--plays an important and logicial role in the film besides the fact of being shocking for the sake of being shocking. When I saw Sixth Sense, I thought the twist made sense and was brilliant...this...well, that's why I'm here. It felt a little odd to me.

Help appreciated.

Perkinsun Dzees

Eh, I think after Reeves sacrifices himself at the end and kills himself, he is given a second chance at life and sent back in time to that moment in the courtroom that started it all (his downfall). So he is given another chance to do what is right, but the Devil is also back to tempt him once again.

Count Dooku

During the first go-round of the trial, Keanu does his ethical duty as an attorney --zealously defending his client, but his actions are immoral because he knowingly helps a child molestor escape punishment.

The idea is that by ignoring what he knows (what we all are supposed to know) is a simple matter of right/wrong, black/white, moral/immoral; and instead adhering to (or hiding behind) a professional code of ethics, Keanu has taken his first step on the road to Evil. But of course he steps off this path at the last moment.

At the second go-round, Keanu chooses morality over ethics --supposedly the right thing to do, the good thing to do; but Pacino's reappearance merely demonstrates that Keanu was damned no matter what he did. No matter choice he made, the Devil would be able to manipulate him and lure him onto the path to Evil.

The twist isn't supposed to make you rethink the entire movie like The Sixth Sense. It's not so much a moment that blows your mind, as one that is intended to get the neurons firing a little bit.

The quetsion of ethics and morality coming into conflict is a fine one to spark a philosophical debate, especially where it concerns the legal profession.

The Devil's Advocate, though, is just The Firm meets Bedazzled. And two hours of Al Pacino's over-the-top scenery-chewing is not going to place anyone in the mindset to mull over any philosophic issues.

PacMan2006

Thanks guys.

ArchibaldTuttle

Possible spoilers:


I like to think that the movie is mostly in keanu's head, including the end when the reporter morphs into pacino.

This movie is a guilty pleasure of mine, and I enjoy the "two hours of Al Pacino's over-the-top scenery-chewing" every time I watch it.

Grimm1

I think the the ending was tagged on so that it would not end with the

Blade

Now that you bring it up, I think the point of the ending is that the fight against evil, against our own inner demons, is a never ending one. That's my interpretation of the ending.

MasterofDVD

I always assumed he got a second chance and the Devil would find another way to "get him".

I really love this movie as well. I'm glad I have the original DVD pressing and not the altered one. I don't watch the movie that often but I enjoy it immensely each time I do.

outer-edge

I agree.

Whether or not the movie was in his mind or not, he thinks he has beaten evil, both the devil and the evil inside him. However, the glimpse of the devil at the end shows us that he will not give up, he will just try something new, and Keanu's character will need to recognize it as well, else he will fall back into the path of evil. It is a constant struggle, not a single struggle that once overcome guarantees one as safe.

cruzness

Funnily enough I listened to the commentary earlier today and the director says that you can interpret the ending however you want. He says that even though Keanu's character took the moral solution when he was given another chance The Devil is still there to tempt him in another way. As stated by others it is a never ending battle.
This is one of my favorite of Pacino's performances because unlike what Archubald says he does not spend the whole time ranting in front of the cameras. It is a much more subtle performance than most people realize.

Grimm1

Maybe he would...and maybe he wouldn't...who knows? But without the Dallas ending you end up with a darker and better ending in my opinion. You know his wife suffered , was driven mad and died....you know he sacrificed his life so the the Devil would not win.
How many times do we see big named leading stars in a movie up against an impossible situation yet they almost always find a way to save themselves, save the girl and save the day? Here he couldn't save the girl and saving himself was in conflict with saving the day. He now has to pay with his life to save the day....or does he? Guess what...the big star doesn't die and his wife didn't go mad and die...and he's even a better person now. Oh...but the Devil's not going to give up! Sorry that just doesn't do it for me.

BTW...I don't hate this movie...I really like it....I just wish they would have had the balls to end it on a darker note.

Gyno Rhino

Simple:

"Damned if you do, damned if you don't."

Josh-da-man

I assumed that the Devil failed to corrupt Keanu the first time around, and that he went back in time to try again using different methods.

kcbrett5

Agree with everything you said!!

This is off topic but I just finished watching The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise and

PacMan2006

How did you guys like the movie as a whole?

Oraphus

hmm... i was of a little different oppinion as far as why he is given a second chance.
I always thought devil tried to corrupt him and almost got him.. in the end he lost him, but since Reeves was his son and he "cared for him" he took him back in time and gave him a way out. Because he'd rather have him alive but good.. then evil but then dead..... or something like that.

DeputyDave

Though I'm sure an extensive search of the DVD forum can answer this I'm actually fairly lazy: What are the alterations between editions? This is one of my favorite guilty pleasures and am very curious.

Josh-da-man

It was the big white sculpture in Milton's office.

In the original version, it had people in it (which "came to life" at during the movie's climax), and had a strong resemblence to an actual sculpture by Frederick Hart.

Long story short, Hart believed that the sculpture in the movie was a rip-off his work and got it removed from the movie. It looks like they just CGIed the figures out of the sculpture. They could leave them in at the end when they were played by actors because, apparently, once it started moving, the sculpture was different enough from Hart's to allow them to be kept in.

"Ex Nihilo" by Frederick Hart

aknoto

In this movie I remember they made a statement about moving to Dallas, Tx and a date of March 23, was this at the ending? I know I remember this I thought is was at the beginning? can someone help

TomOpus

It's on HBO Max, I watched the first 20 mins and Dallas was never mentioned. Not going to watch till the end to see if it's there or in the middle.